10.31.2013

Today is the culmination of a month-long creative frenzy that I've been enjoying with two other artists, David Hayes and Marlynn Likens. Every October they have a photo challenge for Halloween...daring each other for the spookiest/scariest/creepiest altered photo, using a designated icon as the center figure. This year, when they announced that a clock would be the icon, I just knew I had to play along...some people say "Put a bird on it!" I say - "Put a clock on it!"So every day or every other day (depending upon how intrusive life was at the moment) the three of us posted our entries on Facebook...which often led to taunts and jeers and howls over what would we do next...The top photo is my last installment in the series...fittingly titled "October Blast", it epitomizes the boundaries of inspiration which were stretched during the past month.Marlynn and Dave primarily used their iPhones (and their multitude of apps) as their tool of choice. I have an Android...and not so into apps...but I found that this was the perfect opportunity to put into practice what I have been learning in my latest online class, Photoshop Grunge. For your enjoyment, here is a collage of the images I collectively created during the month...

With the turning of the calendar over to November...the rest of the festive holidays are quickly approaching...here's to laughing at one more festive pumpkin before santa arrives on the scene...

10.25.2013

Hidden beneath a heavy damask curtain...rolled up in a pile in a corner of the stairway...I spied a corner of the familiar blue stripe...and knew that I had found a treasure...As I tugged and pulled, my heart beat faster...yard upon yard of old mattress ticking...heavyweight canvas with the traditional blue stripe...

Mine you, this is far from pristine...it is torn and tattered in spots...faded and stained in others...but it has the patina of a thousand tales to be told.

There are two covers here...still sewn together in some places...there's even the placket with the button closure remaining on one piece...What will I do with it? besides admire the texture and the tones...I have been wanting to incorporate fabric into my collage work... I have always loved fabric...when I started my company 15 years ago, I had a line of pillows and linens that were sewn from vintage materials...lovely, beautiful pieces...one of a kind creations. But I became frustrated when customers would sigh and ask if I could do green instead of blue...or a red plaid instead of a yellow floral...or...so I had to let it go and move onto to other projects...What will this ticking become...perhaps it will be part of a multi-media collage...or the lining for a vintage inspired tote bag...or a slipcover for my living room ottoman...there's plenty of material...it will have many encores...

or I may just admire its textures and tones...paired with a page from the old farm journal I bought at the same estate sale, it makes a beautiful still life...

10.22.2013

Every once in a while, there is a person who crosses your path...and has an effect on you that could not have been predicted...One such person for me is Kim Klassen...the photography/photoshop maven from Canada. I have never met Kim personally...but she has influenced my work in a profound manner...Years ago I was given a copy of Photoshop...it was all the rage and I thought that I should have it...a copy of times I would load up the software...but couldn't really get very far...I'm not much for reading the manual (which I didn't have) and really more of an intuitive learner in the realm of the arts...As I become more involved with blogging, Kim Klassen's website/blog/online classes crossed my path...more than once...I finally checked it out...and stuck my toe in the water to see if I could indeed make sense of Photoshop and what it had to offer me. I ended up signing on for Kim's class "Beyond Layers" which was not just a Photoshop class...but rather a creativity class, using Photoshop as a tool for expression. After the year long class, I signed up for the next adventure, "Beyond Beyond", wanting to expand what I could glean from the combination of photography, creativity and computer technique.Through Kim, I learned of another class...much different from Kim's style but still mining the intricacies of Photoshop while prodding the depths of one's creativity...that workshop is Photoshop Grunge.Within Photoshop Grunge, there's been an ongoing series of weekly challenges which focus on particular applications...which help to reinforce the learning...this past weekend, the focus was on Kim...As one of several contributors, Kim offers a set of textures for class participants to use in their creations...the weekend challenge was to use several of her textures with a simple photograph that would be for Kim...to give her hope for the difficult journey that she and her family is facing...Here is my photo...edited with a skill and understanding that I would never had achieved without her guidance...her influence has left a mark on my approach to this creative process...and I thank her...

10.19.2013

sometimes junk can be rusty...or grimy...or peelingbut sometimes junk can be beautiful...

What started as a weathered roll of metal corrugated garden edging...

turned into birthday crown for a dear friend...I love working with this metal edging...its very flexible and easy to cut with a sturdy pair of scissors...since the metal is so pliant, its the ideal crown material, able to conform to one's head for a perfect fit...

Silk ribbon is wound around the bottom edge and streams down the back side of the crown...

A wooden bird covered with French ephemera adorns the front...with a vintage watch face at its center, the bird lays in a nest of white tulle...

Two galvanized plant tags are pressed into service, one on each side of the crown, proclaiming the honor of the recipient...Junk has never been more beautiful...

10.17.2013

What do you get when you mix 15 enthusiastic women with a pile of old books, plenty of paper, scads of scraps and a container of glue sticks...you get art!This past Tuesday was my recycled journal class...where I taught others how to take an old disheveled book and turn it into a personal, upcycled journal, ready to record one's musings, thoughts, desires and dreams...Sponsored by the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Arts Council, my workshop led 15 women on a 90 minute class of creativity...I provided the tools, the materials and the process...they provided the inspiration, the exploration and the visualization...A quick synopsis...

To read a more in-depth review of the class, visit the blog of Claudia Mazzie-Balheim, one of the class participants and quite the artist herself - specializing in recycled projects.Thanks to all who attended...such a pleasure for me...fueled me for the rest of the week!

10.15.2013

A crisp fall morning...a weed-covered field among the 1960's ranch houses...an old homestead...with a barn and an aging farmhouse...an orchard that held on to the end...its inhabitants now gone...the remainders for sale...an old ledger...weighing in at 15 pounds...recording daily transactions...outlines a much simpler time...

the beginning pages bear witness to a life in 1920...and then fade away...left blank...unanswered questions to what transpired...

the kraft envelope was discovered, tucked among the pages...the rusted scissors and jute twine, additional found treasures...

10.10.2013

No surprise...I like to wrap presents...but not in any conventional manner...I prefer the outside of the gift to reflect what the inside holds...this recent recycled journal that I created on commission was designed for a woman who remodels old houses and loves rusty things...a sheet from a set of blueprint plans was the perfect paper...encircled with a length of ancient fabric drywall tape and secured with linen twine...

The roll of very old fabric drywall tape is one of those lucky finds that I am metering out its use...this is the reason why I always go to the basement and garage first at any estate sale...while all the guys are pawing over the tools, I am hunting for those remainders that are of no use to anyone currently...but provide creative fodder. In this day and age, no one would use cloth drywall tape for seaming...there's all sorts of composite materials that are stronger and more durable...so this roll sat in the corner...until I came along and snatched it up...

I also like to include the card as part of the package...one of my vintage art cards with the announcement of "JUNK" was the ideal tag...with a hole punched at each end, its easy to knot the twine to keep it all secure...Wanting some of those "JUNK" cards for your own...newly listed in my etsy shop, you can find all the details here...

and if you mention you read about the cards on my blog, I'll throw in a bonus prize with your order...I'm taking a few days off and visiting my sister...but you can follow my antics on Instagram (user name fourcornersdesign) or my four corners design Facebook page...

10.08.2013

There is just something striking about vegetables in the fall...its that whole harvest image...the bounty from the garden or the field...just as I tend to take more flower pictures in the spring...fall is ideal for capturing the essence of vegetables...parsnips from the sunday farmer's market...the perfect photographic model

10.04.2013

I've embarked on a new photography course...one that's online...and I can do at my own pace...working on my technique so that my art can shine through...My first foray into an online photography class started with Kim Klassen two years ago...it was both a tutorial on Photoshop and a method to boost one's creativity...it focused on taking a single image and enhancing it to its most artistic potential.My current class, Photoshop Grunge, takes a different approach. As you might expect, the focus is on a textured, layered technique...but more importantly, it takes several photographic images and meshes all of the images with textures and layering to create a unique artistic composition.While the grunge is sometimes a little heavier than I would like, the idea of meshing several images together closely aligns with the work I do as a collage artist. I believe that every object tells a story...and by combining several images together, that story is clear to the observer.When I embarked on my artistic journey 15 years ago, I was hesitant to use the one-of-a-kind ephemera I had acquired...once it was committed to a collage, that was it...never to be used again. Imagine my apprehension...was this the best use for a turn of the century handwritten letter...or a receipt for a 1930 grocery purchase of eggs or a family photo of a dear uncle in 1890...time clicks ahead...scanning, digital imaging, Photoshop and the internet all make huge leaps and bounds. The treasured bits and scraps that I have been hording now can be incorporated into a new type of digital collage...that still tells the story of the object...but doesn't limit it to a single soliloquy...I've only scratched the surface of the course...but thought I would share what I have created thus far...

And though this digital technique can not replace the rendering of paint and paper on a piece of wood or a stretched canvas...adding in a smattering of rust and patina, I hope it will enhance my artistic repertoire...Do you have any new creative adventures you've pursued? do tell...

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all rights reserved. please do not reproduce, use or copy my images, photos, artwork or text without my express permission. email inquiries to amy_duncan@yahoo.com.
creating art is not an easy process - thanks for giving the artist the respect they deserve.